


The Mind Shall Vanquish The Sword

by DynastyKit



Category: Shin Sangokumusou | Dynasty Warriors
Genre: Ambushes and Sneak Attacks, Battle, Battlefield, Fire, Gen, Gourd Valley, Learning experience, Near Death Experiences, Out of Character, Serious, Strategy & Tactics, Wuzhang Plains
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-02-23
Updated: 2018-02-23
Packaged: 2019-03-22 20:48:48
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,335
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13772253
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DynastyKit/pseuds/DynastyKit
Summary: In their final clash before the climactic Battle of Wuzhang Plains, Sima Yi learns some important lessons from a brush with death caused by Zhuge Liang.A short one-off about Sima Yi's growth as a strategist.





	The Mind Shall Vanquish The Sword

**Author's Note:**

> A Dynasty Warriors interpretation of Chapter 103 of Romance of the Three Kingdoms, featuring some character development I'd like to see Sima Yi get.

“Guo Huai, I leave the main camp to you. Should the enemy discover my absence, you will be a prime target,” Sima Yi instructed Guo Huai. “Do not fail me,” Sima Yi continued as he mounted his horse.

“Of course, Lord Sima Yi.” Guo Huai bowed to his commander. 

“See you on the flip side.” Sima Zhao patted Guo Huai’s shoulder as he walked passed him and to his horse. 

“Yes, master Sima Zhao.” Guo Huai then bowed to Zhao. 

Sima Shi walked passed Huai to his horse, and Zhang Chunhua and Deng Ai stepped in next to Huai. “I should be going with you…” Chunhua said to her husband, sounding disappointed. 

“You should not even be at this battle at all!” Sima Yi scoffed as he looked down at his pregnant wife. 

“I will be fine. It’s you I’m worried about.” Zhang Chunhua gently held her bulging stomach and sighed. “Your last little expedition almost got you killed!”

“You have nothing to fear, mother,” Sima Shi spoke up. “We’ll deal with these imbeciles.”

“Mwahaha.” Sima Yi’s eyes narrowed as he stared out at the valley in front of him and laughed,  
“Zhuge Liang thinks he is a threat to us.”

“Master Sima Yi!” Xin Xianying shouted as she ran up to the group. “The troops are ready to move!” she bowed to him as she spoke. 

“Then let’s not waste any more time. Zhuge Liang will be forced to retreat once his supplies are gone! Mwahaha! Let’s go!” Sima Yi exclaimed before charging towards the Shu main camp.

“Father! Why are we attacking the enemy’s rear?” Shi shouted to his father over the galloping. 

“It is merely bait! When we reach their main camp, we shall split the army in two! We will go burn the supplies, while the rest of the army occupies them at their main camp!” Yi responded. 

As the Wei army reached Shu’s main camp and the Shu soldiers rushed into their defensive positions, Sima Yi quickly split from the main army with only a few hundred soldiers to go burn Shu’s supplies. 

With Sima Shi at his left, and Sima Zhao at his right, Sima Yi and his cavalry approached the Gourd Valley that Sima Yi believed housed Shu’s supplies. 

The Shu general Wei Yan stood alone on his horse at the opening of the valley, with a small force of not even a hundred men placed just inside of the valley. 

“Halt!” Sima Yi shouted as he stopped just a few dozen feet away from Wei Yan. “Stay wary, this may be a trap,” he advised his sons.

“Sima… Yi…” Wei Yan grunted angrily. “Duel… Me!” 

Sima Yi waved his fan gently as he stared up at the cloudy sky above him— a storm clearly brewing. Then, without a word, he instructed his horse to slowly walk towards Wei Yan.

Gasps and murmurs came from the Wei soldiers, before Sima Zhao suddenly exclaimed, “Father! What are you doing?” 

Zhao began to move towards Yi, until Shi held out his rapier in front of Zhao. “He knows what he’s doing…” Shi said to Zhao quietly. 

“Wei Yan is one of the greatest warriors in the land,” Zhao said nervously, stopping his horse. 

“Huh…?” Wei Yan grunted as he watched Sima Yi begin to approach him. “You… Bigger fool… Than I thought!”

“You are nothing but an untrained savage!” Sima Yi shouted as he pointed his war fan at Wei Yan. 

Faint raindrops began to fall around them as the duel began. With a loud, angry cry, Wei Yan charged towards Sima Yi, flailing around his double vogue. Sima Yi charged ahead, holding his war fan up high. The Wei soldiers all held their breaths as Sima Yi and Wei Yan collided with a loud clash. There were a few moments of silence as Sima Yi and Wei Yan stopped their horses after the first pass. 

Everyone’s gaze was fixed on Sima Yi. Sima Yi had his head down as he turned his horse back towards Wei Yan. “Hah!” Sima Yi exclaimed as he raised his head and his war fan to the sky. “This is the great warrior, Wei Yan!? He is no match for me!” 

The Wei army cheered loudly, and Sima Zhao let out a huge sigh of relief. Sima Shi smirked at his brother. “Mwahaha. I told you everything would be alright!” Shi laughed. 

“Sima… Yi… Die!” Wei Yan yelled angrily as he charged at Sima Yi again. 

Sima Yi and Wei Yan made a few more passes on horseback, and Sima Yi began to realize that Wei Yan had the advantage. Damn, that was close… I’ll knock him off his horse, and then order the army to engulf him… Sima Yi thought to himself. 

So, as Sima Yi approached Wei Yan during the next pass, Sima Yi waved his fan and conjured a small, powerful gust of wind just before they collided. While Wei Yan was knocked off of his horse by the sudden wind, he was able to swing his voulge and slit Sima Yi’s horse’s neck. The attack caused Sima Yi’s horse to collapse to the ground and send Sima Yi tumbling off. 

“Father!” Sima Shi cried, before suddenly charging his horse at Wei Yan. 

“Shi! Wait!” Sima Zhao tried to stop his brother, but it was no use. Zhao knew that Shi stood no chance against Wei Yan, so he had to act fast. “Everyone! Charge!” Zhao ordered, and the Wei army roared as they ran towards Wei Yan and his small contingent. 

“Foolish… Wei…” Wei Yan panted as he mounted his horse again, and began to flee into the Gourd Valley with his small force. 

Wei Yan’s retreat caused Sima Shi to stop, and move towards his father. Sima Yi was brushing himself off. “Father, are you alright?” Shi asked.

“Yes, Shi…” Sima Yi sighed. “Order the army to stop their pursuit. That valley could be a trap,” Yi ordered. So, the Wei army stopped and regrouped at the opening of the valley. Sima Yi was brought another horse, and ordered his troops, “Send scouts into the valley immediately.”

The scouts returned soon after, and reported that Wei Yan had stopped near loads of food and other supplies. They also reported that the hills were filled with straw huts, but their was not another Shu soldier in sight. “So, this is where they’re storing these supplies. I suppose Zhuge Liang believed I would be too afraid to enter the valley…” Sima Yi spoke to himself. “Let’s go! Victory is at hand!”

Sima Yi led the Wei army into the valley, but suddenly grew uneasy after they reached the supplies and Wei Yan was nowhere to be found. Sima Yi turned to his sons, “What if… Shu seizes the entrance? But where would the troops come fr—”

Before Sima Yi could finish his sentence, a Wei soldier cried, “Archers! Above us!” 

Sima Yi looked up, and suddenly saw thousands of flaming arrows descending from above. Sima Yi quickly shielded himself as best as he could, and survived the volley of arrows. 

“My sons! Are you alright!?” Sima Yi cried. They both responded, but Sima Yi soon had other things to worry about. 

Almost instantly, fires spread all throughout the valley and the Wei army. Explosions and screams filled Yi’s ears, while smoke filled his lungs. His horse began acting erratically, so Sima Yi was forced to dismount it as he tried to cover his mouth and stop inhaling the thick black smoke that filled the air.

The fire and smoke limited his vision so much that all he could see were his two sons standing a few feet in front of him after they both dismounted. Sima Yi thought this was the end, and he was glad that he was able to spend his last moment with his sons. Despite how much he boasted about his intellect or strategic achievements, Sima Yi was most proud of his sons. Yi threw his arms around Shi and Zhao, and wept, “This is the end for us. Know that I love you two more than anything in this world!” 

As the flames closed in— only a few inches away from engulfing the Simas —a loud boom of thunder filled the air; the thunder was only indistinguishable from the explosions due to how loud it was. As soon as the thunder ceased, a violent torrent of rain began to fall on the area. The rain almost instantly put out all the flames, and stopped the explosions. Sima Yi had never been so glad to be drenched. 

“The heavens have smiled upon us! We must escape this Hell!” Sima Yi cried as he led his sons, and the remaining Wei soldiers to the entrance of the valley. 

However, Sima Yi’s struggle was not over. Waiting at the entrance of the valley was Ma Dai on his horse, flanked by a hundred Shu soldiers. 

Sima Yi— though on foot and greatly outnumbered —approached Ma Dai. “This rain won’t save you from me, Sima Yi!” Ma Dai exclaimed. 

“You fool! It is Heaven’s will that we escape from this valley!” Sima Yi pointed his fan at Ma Dai as he got ready to battle. 

“Father! We must surrender! We cannot fight!” Shi exclaimed suddenly as he tried to pull his father back.

“And die!?” Sima Yi shouted at Shi. “Zhuge Liang will not spare us!” 

“Master Sima Yi!” suddenly, a familiar shout came in the distance as Wei cavalry charged at Ma Dai’s army. Leading the cavalry was Xin Xianying, who charged straight towards Ma Dai.

“They have reinforcements? Uh-oh. Time to get out of here!” Ma Dai ordered as he and his small unit fled. 

“Master Sima Yi! We saw the flames! Are you alright?” Xin Xianying rode up to Sima Yi. 

“Yes… What does the rest of the battle look like?” Sima Yi asked as a horse was brought to him and his sons.

“Not good.” Xin Xianying shook her head. “The assault on their main camp is falling apart. I already began preparing the main camp for retreat.”

Sima Yi took a deep breath and nodded. “Okay. To the main camp!” The Wei forces quickly moved to their main camp, where only horror awaited them. Shu troops were flooding into their main camp.

“Chunhua…” Sima Yi said under his breath, before leading a charge into the main camp. “Shi! Zhao! Search for your mother! Xianying! We must drive them out of the main camp!”

A short, brutal battle ensued in the pouring rain. The mud made combat clunky, which also served to make each fight more deadly and unpredictable. Eventually, Sima Yi made contact with Jiang Wei, the Shu officer in charge of this battle. 

“Sima Yi! I will cut you down in the name of my lord, Zhuge Liang!” Jiang Wei shouted as he charged towards Sima Yi on his horse. 

Sima Yi gasped and panted. He held his war fan rather weakly. He was exhausted, with lungs still clogged with residue from the black smoke. 

He barely managed to deflect Jiang Wei’s spear as he rode towards him. The spear was only inches away from piercing his chest. Before Jiang Wei could turn around to attack Sima Yi again, Wei let out a sudden groan of pain and held his shoulder.

Guo Huai rode up next to Sima Yi, and had managed to strike Jiang Wei with his shooting spear. “Master Sima Yi! Xianying has ordered a full retreat. What do you say?” 

Sima Yi nodded as he moved his hair out of his face. “We must go to the Wuzhang Plains. If Zhuge Liang follows us, it will surely be his downfall…” Sima Yi watched as Jiang Wei began to flee. “What of my wife?” 

“I sent her ahead to Wuzhang at the first sign of danger. Deng Ai is with her. She is surely safe,” Guo Huai said.

“Then order the retreat. Let’s leave this Hell for good…” With that, the Wei army retreated to Wuzhang Plains. 

Sima Yi— greatly affected by the previous battle —devised his ultimate defensive plan and swore that he would not budge from this position. A month passed, Chunhua had her baby, the stalemate was still going, and Wei’s generals began to get restless after being in a defensive position for so long.

Due to the growing discontent, Sima Yi held a meeting with his high officers. 

After everyone in the meeting arrived, Sima Yi instructed every one to sit in silence. Peculiarly, even Sima Yi’s infant, Sima Gan, did not cry. 

After a few minutes, Sima Yi finally broke the silence. “I understand that many of you do not like our current situation,” Yi said as he looked around the room of about fifty officers. 

“Yes, Sima Yi…” Guo Huai responded. “Especially because of the disrespect Shu has shown us.” 

Sima Yi looked at his wife; Chunhua was sitting next to him with their baby in her arms. He held out his arms, and Chunhua gently passed Gan to him. Sima Yi then stood up, and began walking and rocking Sima Gan as he said, “I realized something about a month ago. As I stood there— surrounded by the flames of hell itself, holding my two sons in my arms, as helpless as this infant —I realized that my arrogance, my overconfidence, my hubris, will be the death of me. I can only guess I was saved because the heaven’s favor our great emperor. From that day on, I vowed that I would never let my emotions get the best of me again. You would do well to do the same. The heaven’s may not come to save you from the clutches of hell.”

Sima Yi’s speech, along with an imperial edict ordering them to stay in their defensive positions, managed to quell the Wei army’s discontent. Meanwhile, Shu and Zhuge Liang were preparing for an epic assault to decide the fate of the Three Kingdoms.


End file.
